Badagi -Georgian Product of the Year

February 2, 20172,661 Views

Badagi is a Georgia Churchkhela producer company which was established in 2011. The company was a winner of Business Awards 2016 in the nomination: The product of the year. The founder of the company, Vakhtang Kajarishvili talks about where the idea of Bagadi comes from and how the business succeeded.

Tell us, how did you come up with an idea to create “Badagi”?

The idea was to create a product which would be Georgian, traditional and natural. The product should have been found in Georgia and I decided that Churchkhela would be the most appropriate for this business. The history of Badagi started 20 years ago.

How long did it take to fulfill your idea?

We started immediately but back then it was more like an experiment, there weren’t many shops.

Which difficulties did you have to overcome?

There were a lot of obstacles, but I always had a hope that I could make it work. There was pause of 4-5 years, but finally after 10-15 years, we managed to establish our business on Georgian market.

What was the advantage of Churchkhela you made?

Our advantage was producing a natural product. There was a demand for it but you couldn’t buy natural Churchkhela neither in Kakheti or anywhere else. We don’t have any special recipe for our product. You should just spare nuts, grapes and walnuts but you should make a quality product. It might be more expensive but we are focused on quality.

What amount of Churchkhela did you use to produce, and how many of them do you produce now?

We used to make 500 before, but we produce 5000 Churchkhelas now.

Are you planning to export your product?

We are not planning to export it yet because the local market is a priority, but our original plan was to produce it locally and it’s necessary to stay here 1 more year.

What is necessary to increase the demand for the product?

Quality, good attitude with customers and considering their demands is very important.

What changed the Business Awards 2016 for you?

Winning this nomination made us more famous and we gained more trust in society.

What would you advise people who want to start their business?

They should work hard to achieve the goal. It takes a lot of effort and time.